Second‐order adaptive integral terminal sliding mode approach to tracking control of robotic manipulators

A second‐order adaptive integral terminal sliding mode controller is proposed for the trajectory tracking control of robotic manipulators with uncertainties. A second‐order integral terminal sliding mode surface is designed for which an integral sliding mode (ISM) surface and a fast nonsingular integral terminal sliding mode surface are combined. By using the ISM surface, the reaching phase is removed, which enhances system robustness. The steady‐state error is reduced because of the presence of an error integral term. A fast second‐order nonsingular integral terminal sliding mode surface is employed to ensure that the ISM surface is able to converge to zero rapidly within a finite period of time without leading to a singularity problem. The control input of the proposed controller is continuous. Thus, the chattering phenomenon is removed. An adaptation technique is employed to estimate the upper bound of unknown lumped disturbance. The second‐order derivative of position is calculated using a robust differentiator, making it practical. Simulations and experiments show that the proposed scheme improves the tracking performance and eliminates chattering.